The Jesuit community in northern Cambodia has been blessed with a new home, Xavier House.
Fr Enrique Figaredo SJ, Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, Fr Yong-su Kim SJ, Provincial of the Korean Province, and Fr In-don Francisco Oh SJ, Delegate of the Korean Provincial to the Cambodian Mission, celebrated the house blessing Mass on 15 December. Nearly 100 people including all Jesuits in Cambodia attended the ceremony.
Located inside the Xavier Jesuit School complex, Xavier House is the residence of Jesuits and volunteers serving in Xavier Jesuit School, Sereisophon, Banteay Meanchey province. It will also serve as a welcoming centre for collaborators and guests. Six Jesuits and six volunteers of different nationalities (Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese, and Filipino) currently live in the house as one community. They have different roles in Xavier Jesuit School, but most of them are teachers.
One highlight of the blessing ceremony was the burial of three clay jars in the central garden. Each jar contains soil from martyr shrines in Cambodia (Tep Im Shrine in Banteay Meanchey and Tangkok Shrine in Kampong Thom), and Banteay Prieb, the former Jesuit vocational school where scholastic Richie Fernando SJ died. The burial of the clay jars is a symbol and a reminder that our mission in Cambodia for the Church is enriched by the blood of the martyrs.
Designed by French architect Stephane Crete who is based in Phnom Penh, the house reflects the values of our mission in Cambodia: accompaniment of persons, care for the environment, and inculturation. The shape of the roof and the ornaments are typical of a traditional Khmer house. The chapel is built with a much higher roof since in Khmer culture, the place of worship should be taller than the residential rooms. There is an ornament of a burning bush at the façade of the chapel symbolic of the “fire that kindles other fires”. The floor tiles in the chapel are the same tiles from Banteay Prieb where Scholastic Richie Fernando died.
To make it environment friendly, the house has been designed to ensure good air flow and natural lighting, with minimal use of wooden materials for windows and doors. Hardwood and fruit trees have also been planted around the vicinity. As a welcoming centre, it has rooms specially designed for persons with disabilities, and rooms for consultation and spiritual direction.
The construction of Xavier House began on 12 July 2019. It was handed over on 23 September 2020. Along the way we encountered many challenges. First, we had to accommodate so many ideas and desires from the Jesuits that the design had to be revised eight times before it was finally approved. Second, the outbreak of Covid-19 caused the government to close the Cambodia-Thailand border. Since most of the construction materials were imported from Thailand, we had to face several delays in the delivery, which slowed down the construction. Third, the advent of heavy rains forced us to halt the project temporarily. Fourth, there was additional construction that increased the overall cost.
When the house was finally finished but before we could move in, a big flood came and affected many people around the village. In response, we welcomed four families in our neighbourhood who had lost their homes. They became the first residents of Xavier House. In a sense, they are the ones who first blessed our house with their presence. Like the experience of our first residents, we hope that all who come to Xavier House can feel “at home” and be inflamed with the spirit of faith and zeal for mission.
Watch the video of the blessing ceremony here.
Fr Gregorius Priyadi SJ is the Superior of the Jesuit community in northern Cambodia.